The Premier League said on Friday it is funding defibrillators at grassroots clubs and facilities to save lives if someone suffers a heart attack in the wake of Christian Ericsson's collapse at Euro 2020.
The former Tottenham midfielder fell in Denmark's group opener against Finland. His life was saved when he was given CPR on the pitch and his heart was restarted with a defibrillator before being taken to the hospital. The league stated that "more than 2,000 sites would benefit" with the first 1,000 units of automated external defibrillators. (AED) to be delivered before the start of the 2021-22 season.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a statement: "The traumatic event we all witnessed when Christian Eriksson fell during Euro 2020 emphasizes the need to make defibrillators more widely available in the football community. "
“The welfare of participants and all those involved in football is a priority and this fund will support the many people using football facilities not only with the provision of equipment, but with the necessary training to use the equipment.
"Unfortunately, sudden cardiac arrest can happen anytime, anywhere and we hope that by enabling more features for one device, it will make a difference in saving someone's life."
Ericsson was discharged from the hospital after surgery to install a heart starter device.
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Mumba, who collapsed on the pitch in an FA Cup match in 2012 and was technically "dead" for 78 minutes, welcomed the initiative.
"I know from personal experience the importance of having access to this type of medical equipment and how important it is to the survival of someone suffering from sudden cardiac arrest," he said. "It's important to educate people about using a defibrillator."